Peer pressure
by LukeAndLorelai Brucas Fan
Summary: The original appearance of Luke's infamous coffee cake. And that terrible thing that only Lorelai Gilmore could convince him to do.


Bored, hiding in my room until it's time to leave for work, and hoping that skimming through this will help me stay in a good mood today. Yet another part of the "ACWDYG" world.

* * *

"Come on, Luke. All the cool kids are doing it," Lorelai taunted, moving the cup around, allowing the intoxicating scent to drift up to his nose.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times," he replied, pushing it away. "I am not drinking that swill."

"But you promised," she pouted, glancing over her shoulder, at Sookie, who nodded emphatically.

"I never promis-"

"You said we could do whatever I wanted today. It's my birthday after all, and this is what I choose."

"You're serious about this?" he checked.

"I never joke about coffee, especially not this coffee." _This_ coffee was the stuff that Anne Danes used to buy and that her family continued to get even now, just over a month after her death.

"And if I drink this, you'll stop trying to convince me everyday, that it's the best thing in the world?"

"I won't have to try and convince you, you'll know. All that you need is one sip, and then you're in the happy place with the beautiful coffee. It's a fact."

"We can go see a movie, or take a drive somewhere, I'll even go shopping if you want, carry your purse and not complain."

"Would you look at him? You'd think I just asked him to marry me or something," Lorelai joked, joining Sookie at the table, and leaving Luke standing by the coffee maker with the cup that he wanted nothing to do with.

"I just don't see the big deal. Why are you fighting so hard to make me drink this crap?"

"Why are you fighting so hard not to drink it?" Sookie asked.

"Yeah," Lorelai agreed. "It's not like we're asking you to drink the attempt they have at the Hungry Diner. This stuff is amazing. It's the best I've ever tasted, and that's saying something, since the Gilmores have access to the best of everything and I've had a lot of coffee in my time."

"So once I've done this, we can go? Do something normal?"

"Sure." Lorelai shrugged, sharing a look with her friend.

"What? What was that? What are you planning?"

"Drink the coffee and you'll find out."

"Just this?"

"Just that, I promise,"

Luke nodded, glaring at the two girls sitting at the kitchen table before finally bringing the cup to his lips.

The stench invaded his nostrils and he almost gagged, but managed to hold in any sounds of disgust before finally opening his mouth and taking a sip.

The hot coffee burned through his mouth and his throat as he chocked the mouthful down, before dropping the cup on the bench and stepping away from it.

"Gah! That was so…"

"Did you love it?" Lorelai asked excitedly. Luke knew she was hoping he would say yes. That it was the greatest thing he'd ever tasted and he should have let her convince him earlier, but he couldn't do that.

"Can we just go now? Get some food or something so I can get that disgusting taste out of my mouth. Please?"

"You really hated it, didn't you? Bummer. I was so sure you were going to finally realise what you'd been missing all these years."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you were warned."

"That's true Lorelai," Sookie added. "I tried to tell you this wouldn't work, and he's been telling you ever since you met that he can't stand the stuff."

"It's just not natural!"

"No," Luke replied, picking his jacket up off the back of a chair and slipping it on, "what's not natural, is how fixated you are on this. Lots of people don't drink coffee; lots of people don't obsess over one particular beverage, or any beverage, for that matter. Isn't it enough that you like it? Why do I have to as well?"

"Because it… Oh, never mind. You don't, we've established that so, we should just move on I guess."

"I think that's an excellent idea."

"So what are the plans for today?" Luke asked, dreading the answer. If the day had started with him having to drink coffee, he could only imagine the terrible places it would end up.

"Liz is meeting us at the movies – we're going to see St. Elmo's Fire, and then you will be released from custody for the rest of the afternoon, while we wander around the Hartford mall, all fondly remembering your rant about how much you hate malls."

"We're going to see that movie again?"

"Yeah, so?"

"We just saw it last week!"

"Uh, hello, did you forget the part about this being my birthday, and, I might add, the first day I've had in two months where there isn't a child attached to me?"

"No, but-"

"So it's settled then. Liz is just dropping the kids off with Mia, so we should go so we don't miss the beginning."

"We already saw the beginning, it doesn't matter if we miss it, because I can tell you what happened, the-"

"Come on, we don't want to be late," Lorelai cut him off again, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door as Sookie laughed at the two of them.

Luke shook his head, wondering how it was that he always managed to get roped into these things while he also tried to remember where he put the recipe for the coffee cake he'd gotten off Fran Weston the previous week.

* * *

I was going to send them to see Pretty In Pink, because the day I wrote this Luke had been talking to Kirk about Ducky, but that didn't come out until… sometime in '86. And I know St. Elmo's Fire actually came out about two months after Lorelai's birthday, but I just couldn't resist, since I'd already mentioned that they saw it before and we all know Luke didn't like it.


End file.
